Somerset Council has now submitted to Government its outline proposal for re-opening the B3191 between Watchet and Blue Anchor. The bid is the preferred one of two such schemes submitted by the council -the other being on the A371 at Ansford Hill, near Castle Cary.
The Structures Fund, as it is known, has £1 billion available, and councils across the country will be bidding for a share. The Cleeve Hill bid, which totals nearly £40 million, involves re-routing the road across fields and cliff stabilisation. Local parish councils were consulted on the bid and a decision will be announced in the autumn. If the bid is successful then more detailed planning will take place, and the fund requires any works to be deliverable by 2030.
A lot of the consultation was conducted through the Local Community Network which brings together parish and town councils from this area to work on issues of local interest and provides a direct line into the county council. The meetings are well supported and, as well as being a forum to share concerns and successes, we have direct access to representatives from the County Council and Minehead Police Community Support Officers.
An issue which has arisen recently is of rogue traders offering tarmac services. The people concerned use vehicles which appear to be very similar to council ones and usually suggest they have some excess tarmac from pothole filling. Householders are being urged to report any such approaches to the police.
Somerset Council has recently consulted on its scoping strategy for the new Local Plan. This does not set out specific locations but seeks to establish principles for development. The Parish Council has responded, emphasising the need to support rural communities and transport, protection of productive agricultural land, and the importance of infrastructure capacity including drainage, and water quality. The Local Plan process is quite complex, will take several years to conclude and there will be further opportunities to comment on the various stages
At the time of writing we await the contractors starting work on replacing the Multi Use Games Area at Washford Recreation Ground, and we look forward to this further improvement of the facilities.
The next parish council meeting will be on Monday 24 August at 7pm at the Lysaght Village Hall, Old Cleeve, and is open to the public.
Information on the work of the council, and how to become a councillor, can be found on our website:
oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk